Small Wars Journal

Mattis Says He Was Frank With Trump but Never Blocked His Wishes

Mon, 09/02/2019 - 8:08pm

Mattis Says He Was Frank With Trump but Never Blocked His Wishes by Gerald F. Seib – Wall Street Journal

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was “right up front” in frank policy discussions with President Trump, but never blocked or delayed actions the president wanted him to take.

“I read at times that I was blocking or slow-rolling things that President Trump wanted,” Mr. Mattis said in an interview on “The Journal” podcast that airs Tuesday. “That’s not the way I deal with things. I’m from the West. Out here, we ride for the brand.”

He added that he and the president had lunch or a private Oval Office meeting every week both were in Washington, and “we had very open discussions.”…

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